Atomic capacitor

ABSTRACT

This invention describes a capacitor that formed by a charge or species specific membrane material filled with aqueous or non-aqueous liquid with soluble salts dissolved and non-dissolved in solution and contained within the membrane material. When charged, the oppositely charged ion will leave the structure, leaving behind a charged atomic capacitor.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of provisional patent applicationSer. No. 61/855,772 filed May 24, 2013 by the present inventor.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not applicable

SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM

Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

This invention relates to a specially designed capacitor and orcapacitor/membrane combination for use in electrochemical devices suchas but not limited to capacitive or radial deionization whereby themajority of the capacitance of the system is derived from isolated ionswithin the charge specific membrane spheres or material.

2. Prior Art

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

Accordingly, several objects and advantages of our invention are:

-   -   a) The atomic capacitor can reach a capacitance density of up to        5,000 F/cc or greater which is up to 50 times or greater than        state of the art materials.    -   b) The atomic capacitor material can be structured so as to be        an integrated electrode/membrane monolith.

SUMMARY

This invention describes a capacitor that is made up of a chargespecific membrane material with highly soluble salts dissolved andnon-dissolved in solution and surrounded by the charge specific membranematerial. Each atomic capacitor containing the ion charged materialconsists of a porous anionic membrane material with a high concentrationof aqueous or non-aqueous solution saturated with high solubility saltsand a porous cationic membrane also filled with saturated aqueous ornon-aqueous solution. When each is charged, the oppositely charged ionwill leave its respective membrane, leaving behind a charged atomiccapacitor, ready to reabsorb ions of interest in application.

DRAWINGS—FIGURES

FIG. 1: Purification cycle of electric double layer capacitor deionizer.

FIG. 2: Rejection cycle of electric double layer capacitor deionizer.

FIG. 3: Atomic capacitor spheres filled with salt in aqueous ornon-aqueous or solution.

FIG. 4: Charge specific membrane material with voids filled with salt inaqueous or non-aqueous solution.

FIG. 5: Carbon electrode material containing hollow spheres filled withsalt in aqueous or non-aqueous or solution.

FIG. 6: Integrated carbon electrode and charge specific membranematerial with voids filled with salt in aqueous or non-aqueous solutionand carbon.

FIG. 7: Table of highly soluble aqueous salts and estimated capacitance.

DRAWINGS—REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   11—Cationic membrane sphere shell-   12—Anionic membrane sphere shell-   13—solution with dissolved and non-dissolved salt.-   15—cations-   17—anions-   19—electric field generator-   31—charge specific membrane material-   33—capacitor spheres-   35—cationic spheres-   37—anionic spheres-   51—carbon electrode-   55—current collector-   71—capacitor-   73—Mixed carbon electrode, membrane, and capacitor spheres in one    layer-   75—Super capacitor carbon

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In an electric double layer capacitor system such as but not limited tothe concentric capacitive deionization Radial Deionization device fromAtlantis Technologies, two oppositely charged capacitors are separatedby a dielectric flow channel and two charge specific membranes. In thepurification mode, cations are attracted to the negatively chargedcarbon electrode and anions are attracted to the positively chargedcarbon electrode. Each type of ion passes through a membrane whosecharge affinity is the same as the ion (positive or negative). After itpasses through, it adsorbs onto the surface of the carbon particles thatmake up the carbon electrode. See FIG. 1.

Once the purification cycle is complete or the carbon electrodes arefull of their respective ions, the polarity of the electric double layercapacitor is switched and the ions are pushed away from the carbon,through the membrane, into the spacer and up against the opposite sidemembrane. Because the membranes are charge specific, these rejected ionscannot pass through and adsorb onto the other carbon electrode and flushout of the system. See FIG. 2.

This invention proposes the partial or complete replacement of thecarbon electrodes and charge specific membrane with charge specificmembrane material that contains aqueous or non-aqueous solution that issaturated with high solubility salts such as but not limited to sodiumchloride, antimony trichloride, ammonia, antimony trifluoride, zincchloride, zinc bromide, indium bromide, or any other high solubilitysalt that dissolved and non-dissolved in aqueous or non-aqueoussolution.

When the atomic capacitor material is initially made, the cations andanions from the highly soluble salt are in solution and the solution iscontained within the charge specific membrane material 11 or 12. Themembrane material could be a porous layer of material with a multitudeof holes for the aqueous or non-aqueous solution to reside 31. Thiscombination could also be in the form of hollow spheres containing thesalt laden liquid 33. In either case, it is important that the outsideof the material be sealed and that there is no significant pathway forthe liquid to leave the interior of the membrane sponge or sphere.

An electric double layer capacitor is formed with one of the chargespecific membrane compositions constituting one electrode, and theopposite polarity membrane composition constituting the other asdescribed in the attached drawing as optional. When an initialactivation charge is applied to the device in the same orientation asthe charge specific membranes (anionic side is charged negative,cationic side charged positive), the anions travel out of the anionicand move into the dielectric spacer towards the positively chargedelectrode. The cations leave the cationic and travel towards the anionicside. This polarity orientation is same as the “reject cycle”.

By the end of this initial activation charging cycle, most or all of theanions 17 and cations 15 have left the anionic and cationic spheres orpockets respectively and are residing in the dielectric spacer. With thepolarity intact, the ejected ions are flushed out of the system by aliquid flowing through the flow channel/dielectric spacer.

After this initial charging cycle, each sphere is now charged to theopposite polarity due to the inability of the trapped ions to leave thesphere or pocket and is now ready to operate on a continuous basis. Tooperate, the polarity is switched to the “clean cycle” and thepreviously ejected ion type (anionic or cationic) is reabsorbed by thesphere from the solution flowing through the dielectric spacer flowchannel.

The size, shape, and composition of the atomic capacitors can vary.Capacitor can be a stand along structure containing a membrane shellfilled with aqueous or non-aqueous liquid containing dissolved andundissolved salts (capacitor mixture). It can also be a void within amembrane structure which is also filled with capacitor mixture. Theshape can range from spherical to any shape that would hold volume. Thetotal volume of the capacitor can be as small as the size of a one saltmolecule with minimum liquid up to many milliliters. The wall thicknessof a stand-alone structure could be the minimum to contain the liquidsuch as the length of a membrane molecule, a single layer of graphene orother high strength material.

EXAMPLE 1

An electrode/membrane combination consisting of a porous charge specificmembrane material that is filled with a highly soluble salts such as butnot limited to metal halides such as sodium chloride, antimonytrichloride, ammonia, antimony trifluoride, zinc chloride, zinc bromide,indium bromide, or any other high solubility salt that dissolved andnon-dissolved in aqueous or non-aqueous solution.

EXAMPLE 2

Charge specific membrane hollow spheres consisting of charge specificmembrane material that is filled with a highly soluble salt such as butnot limited to sodium chloride, antimony trichloride, ammonia, antimonytrifluoride, zinc chloride, zinc bromide, indium bromide, or any otherhigh solubility salt that dissolved and non-dissolved in aqueous ornon-aqueous or solution. These spheres can be incorporated intomaterials used within an electrochemical device such as capacitivedeionization systems.

EXAMPLE 3

An electrode/membrane combination consisting of a porous charge specificmembrane material that is filled with a highly soluble salt such as butnot limited to sodium chloride, antimony trichloride, ammonia, antimonytrifluoride, zinc chloride, zinc bromide, indium bromide, or any otherhigh solubility salt that dissolved and non-dissolved in aqueous ornon-aqueous solution in combination with traditional capacitancematerials such as but not limited to carbon black, activated carbon, andPTFE fibrillating materials.

EXAMPLE 4

Charge specific membrane hollow spheres consisting of charge specificmembrane material that is filled with a highly soluble salt such as butnot limited to sodium chloride, antimony trichloride, ammonia, antimonytrifluoride, zinc chloride, zinc bromide, indium bromide, or any otherhigh solubility salt that dissolved and non-dissolved in aqueous ornon-aqueous solution. These spheres can be adhered in some fashion tothe current collector with conductive adhesive and act as both thecapacitor material and charge specific membrane.

1. An atomic capacitor made from a membrane material, liquid, andsoluble salt.